We are excited to announce that Stephen's setting of the psalms from the Easter Vigil - the Vigil of Light - will be released on March 31. These psalm settings, described as the "sound of Easter" by participants of the Light to the Nations youth pilgrimage over many years, are now ready to be shared with the whole Church. Combining the best of the ancient and new, infused with a sense both of the transcendent power and glory of God and of his intimate presence with us, and featuring world-class musicians…

Sometime life doesn’t turn out the way we planned. I’d been a Christian for quite a few years (I’m not going to say exactly how many!). I’d led communities, led worship more times than I could count, given innumerable teachings on prayer and on giving yourself to God. I’d based my whole life around my relationship with God. And then, a couple of years ago, without any warning, suddenly it all felt very different. I was still doing the same stuff, still praying, still doing my best to live a good…

Since 2011 schools, communities and parishes in Australia have been finding that the Mass of the Holy Spirit setting is a powerful tool for engaging young people (and old!) in the Eucharist. Capturing the vibrancy of youth and the beauty of the ancient tradition, this setting has proven to be effective in a wide variety of settings: from the simplest of parish settings with a single guitar or piano and single singer, to a full Cathedral mass with…

“Stephen Kirk is a man of faith and a talented musician. These two are not always found together, but in Stephen they mix to provide a special voice in the Church and special service to the Church. At times people think that song is cosmetic to the spiritual life, but in Stephen we see and hear that song is at the heart of the spiritual life. He shows that the spiritual life really happens when the spirit begins to sing to God.”+Mark Coleridge Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn

The fundamental mystery of our faith is God. One God in three persons. The communion of God that we call the Trinity. Everything that we are, that we know, flows from God. Creation, Incarnation, Redemption. All flow from the fact that God is, and is who he is.

This is why when we pray we start our prayer in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. We found ourselves and our…Read more

In the last article we looked at the power of music to take the truths of the faith and present them in a way that engages students, sticks in their heads, and ends up on their ipods. Today we are going to look at the powerful way in which music can be used not just to teach the truths of heaven, but also to give students a glimpse of God. Music can evoke in us an aching, a yearning for…Read more

In any school there are many reasons why music matters. Numerous studies over the years have demonstrated that engagement with music can have such various and diverse positive effects as building a sense of community, improving memory, enhancing performance on cognitive tasks, allowing for improved mental health, and even strengthening the immune system!

I would like to tell you a story about me. Well, really the story is not so much about me, but about God, music and Catholicism.

I was born in 1971 as the youngest of six boys in a very musical family, and throughout my life have been heavily involved in various types of music; from classical to black gospel, funk to folk. My Dad - a research scientist by profession but an Irish peasant at…Read more

12/30/2013

Welcome...

Permit me to introduce myself. I am a husband, a father of six, a musician, composer, and worship leader, a software architect, a lover of good food, great wine, surfing and diving. Through all of this I am a Christian and a Catholic who does his best to love God, and to let the beauty with which God has surrounded us open his eyes to the encounter God desires to have with us.

Over the years I have grown to understand that I am called to be a witness to the presence of God, by leading people into prayer through music, and these days a lot of my work is in composing and releasing music to serve the Church, and providing workshops and teachings on liturgy, prayer, and music. I strive to create music that captures the beauty and wonder of our ancient faith and tradition in a contemporary form that is alive with the vibrancy of youth and is accessible to all, and I believe with all my heart that it is possible for our prayer times, our liturgies, our worship to be transformed through such music.

What people are saying about Stephen Kirk...

“Stephen Kirk is a man of faith and a talented musician. These two are not always found together, but in Stephen they mix to provide a special voice in the Church and special service to the Church. At times people think that song is cosmetic to the spiritual life, but in Stephen we see and hear that song is at the heart of the spiritual life. He shows that the spiritual life really happens when the spirit begins to sing to God.”+Mark Coleridge Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn

“The Rend the Heavens CD is fantastic. I had a chance to listen to it twice through on the trip home and it was the best CD I’ve listened to and prayed with for many years – and it’s all I’ve listened to since then. You know its had an impact when you wake up at night with the melody and lyrics on your mind.” Steve Toohey Director, Youth Mission Team

“Stephen has a great gift to bring to the Catholic Church in effective and prayerful music for young people today that is both appealing and evangelising” - Peter Woods, Director Australia-Pacific School of Evangelisation and Catholic Schools Youth Ministry Australia